Popeye

Popeye (1980): A Nostalgic Cartoon Come to Life Robert Altman's Popeye isn't going to change anyone's weltanschauung. But good grief, is it delightful. A loving, slightly mad translation of the comic strip to screen, the film is a triumph of pure, unapologetic whimsy. Harry Nilsson's musical numbers are wonderfully bizarre - strange, singable tunes that capture the film's cartoonish spirit. Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall don't just play Popeye and Olive Oyl; they become living, breathing cartoon characters. Their physical comedy is so precise, so exaggerated, that each movement feels like a panel from E.C. Segar's original comic strip. The visual style is extraordinary. Sweethaven, built entirely on location in Malta, looks like a three-dimensional cartoon - all tilted angles, saturated colors, and impossible architectural perspectives. It's a world that exists somewhere between reality and illustration. For those of us who grew up with these people - Williams, Duvall, Ray Walston, and Jules Feiffer (screenplay) - the film is pure nostalgic joy. A reminder of a simpler, more sane period in our lives. Not every film needs to be serious. Sometimes, it just needs to be fun.